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Students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show reduced on-task behavior at school and educational problems due to the symptoms associated with this diagnosis. Classroom management strategies (CMS) are important to reduce impairment by ADHD but are not yet well implemented. In this study we analyzed whether the facilitators and barriers regarding the intention to apply CMS identified for pre-service teachers are replicable in a sample of teachers in service. Overall, 599 teachers in service completed an online survey on the intention to apply CMS, their attitude towards CMS and towards students with ADHD, direct experiences, individual differences, and social influences. We calculated path models that significantly clarified variance in the intention to apply CMS (R2intention to use effective CMS = 0.47, p < 0.01 and R2intention to use ineffective CMS = 0.39, p < 0.01). It turns out that similar variables are relevant to teachers in service as well as pre-service teachers. A models’ extension to include variables that do justice to the difference between the two groups, such as work experience, shows a better model fit. Especially, attitude towards CMS, attitude towards students with ADHD, strain, perceived behavioral control and teachers’ affiliation with primary or special needs schools are important variables regarding the intention to apply CMS. The implementation of effective and elimination of ineffective CMS should thus be addressed by targeting teacher’s attitudes towards children with ADHD. Furthermore, strain prevention and education might enhance the application of effective CMS.

Many students with ADHD experience educational attainment difficulties. Nevertheless, evidence-based classroom management strategies (CMS) are seldom used. This science–practitioner gap might be due to a lack of shared knowledge between the scientific fields of psychology/psychiatry and education. This review uses science mapping to explore the basis of the current stock of knowledge in each of the two scientific fields, compares current approaches, and examines whether implementation methods and related barriers are investigated topics. We conducted a systematic search of the literature to identify articles on CMS in ADHD. We then conducted co-citation analyses and bibliographic coupling analysis. The former revealed six clusters of psychology/psychiatry and five clusters of education. Bibliographic coupling analysis resulted in eight clusters, with literature from both fields. The majority of the research is conducted in the field of psychology/psychiatry; teachers’ perspectives are focused only in the field of education. The number of studies on implementation and potential barriers is small. There was thus relatively little communication between the sciences, but the scientific fields have seemed to converge recently. Connecting the scientific fields more and concentrating on implementation methods and barriers is strongly needed to close the science–practitioner gap.

Although an average of one to two children per classroom suffer from ADHD, empirically supported classroom interventions are not yet implemented possibly because of teachers' lack of knowledge or negative attitude towards them. To investigate this sciencepractitioner gap, we need an instrument assessing knowledge, attitude and the use of ADHD-related interventions. The self-report ADHD Questionnaire by Kos and the ADHD specific knowledge and attitudes scale for teachers by Mulholland et al. are examples of such instruments. Yet, these instruments have primary weaknesses concerning their content validity. Our study validated a newly developed instrument. The ADHD-school-expectation questionnaire (ASE) consists of an ADHD knowledge (24 items), attitude (33 items), and intervention scale (27 items). Attitudes are formed by expectations and related ratings according to Fishbein's and Ajzen's rational choice theory and Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour. Our study results revealed theory-based content validity and good reliability. Therefore, the ASE can be used for future research in the field of ADHD in the classroom.

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